Birmingham City’s recent transfer activity under Knighthead Capital Management has certainly drawn attention to the club as they plan a return to the Premier League.

Tom Wagner has spent substantially in many elements of Blues as a club throughout his stint as owner, none more so than the squad, which will be mostly available to Chris Davies after his hiring in June 2024.

The West Midlands outfit’s standout player at the moment is, without a doubt, Jay Stansfield, who, after scoring 12 goals during the club’s relegation battle in 2023/24, was brought back to St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on a seven-year contract for a club record sum.

Naturally, given that the club was in League One at the time the deal was finalised, it was a major surprise that Blues were able to outspend certain Premier League clubs in that particular transfer window, as well as the fact that it was able to trump all of the previous signings they had made between 2002 and 2011, when, aside from two seasons in the Championship, they were a Premier League side.

Many players from this era, particularly those managed by Steve Bruce and, later, Alex McLeish, are fondly regarded, while some will undoubtedly be at the top of the list in terms of major contributions made in B9.

And it’s fair to say that Swedish midfield maestri Seb Larsson fits the bill admirably, with the sum paid to Arsenal making things even sweeter for the Bluenoses.

Seb Larsson found himself in Birmingham City folklore shortly after the £1 million Arsenal move was completed.

Larsson, who was born in Eskilstuna, Sweden, was discovered as a playmaking midfielder by Arsenal when he was 16 years old in 2001, but he had to wait three years before making his EFL Cup debut as a left-back against Manchester City.

Ironically, he made his Premier League debut against Birmingham in a 2-0 victory at St. Andrew’s in February 2006, and the Second City would become familiar territory for the versatile figure as Bruce sought to rebuild his squad ahead of the 2006/07 Championship season following relegation.

After joining Blues on loan alongside fellow Arsenal duo Fabrice Muamba and Nicklas Bendtner, the midfielder’s debut came against Colchester United, and he very rarely looked back in a first season in B9, which saw Blues part with £1 million at the halfway point, with Bruce stating “He is young, hungry, and ambitious, and epitomises the type of player we need.”

Larsson finished the 2006/07 season with nine goals and five assists, and he certainly repaid the seven-figure fee months later with a stunning solo strike in front of the Tilton against Sheffield Wednesday, securing an immediate return to the top flight, where he would go on to further demonstrate his worth.

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Seb Larsson’s tenure with Birmingham City foreshadowed what was to come in his career.

Indeed, Larsson made headlines the next season for a remarkable long-distance strike against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, and despite the Blues’ quick relegation to the second division, he was able to earn his first of 133 international caps for Sweden.

His top-level midfield spark, however, was a catalyst for a first-time promotion, this time under McLeish, before seven more goals in 2009/10 helped Birmingham reach ninth, the club’s highest result in the pyramid since 1958/59.

In addition to his aforementioned promotion-clinching heroics against the Owls three years prior, Larsson was key in the club’s unlikely EFL Cup success in 2010/11 under the Scottish manager.

In addition to his three assists in the competition, two of which came in the semi-final 4-3 aggregate victory over West Ham United, the Swede got the ball rolling on a famous night at St. Andrew’s in the previous round against Aston Villa.

After Lee Bowyer was hauled down inside the box, Larsson fired past Brad Friedel from 12 yards after 12 minutes, before Nikola Zigic’s historic winner cancelled out Gabby Agbonlahor’s typical goal in the match.

Larsson also played the entire 90 minutes in the Wembley victory over Arsenal, but despite scoring three goals in the run-up, he was unable to save the Blues from relegation.

He would subsequently reunite with Bruce at Sunderland on a free transfer, which proved to be a steal for the experienced manager, making his first of 203 appearances for the Black Cats with a well-documented volley against Liverpool at Anfield.

The 41-year-old’s final “hurrah” in England came with Hull City in 2017/18, where he scored his first goal in a 6-1 thrashing of Blues at the MKM Stadium, before returning to Sweden and spending four years with AIK Stockholm.

However, the talented midfielder will always be grateful to the Blues for taking a chance on him two decades ago, and he has repaid that faith with 26 goals and as many assists in 205 games.